Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Russia Refuses to Register Liberal Opposition Party

Russia’s Ministry of Justice refused to register liberal opposition party PARNAS (People’s Freedom Party), recently established by former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, former governor and Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, former Deputy Minister Vladimir Milov, and former Duma deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov. PARNAS filed a registration request in May. The Ministry says it discovered inadequacies in the party's documentation; in particular, some of the listed party members were found to be deceased, some were minors, and some appeared to have submitted addresses which do not correspond with their actual permanent residences. The party leaders say the Ministry's decision is illegal. “This is not a mistake but rather a political decision taken by Putin and Surkov with silent consent of Medvedev,” Nemtsov commented. (Vladislav Surkov has been an influential Presidential Administration official since Putin was in office.) Without formal registration, a party is unable to participate in elections and essentially can not take part in political life.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1664773
http://rt.com/politics/parnas-opposition-violations-registration/
http://youtu.be/itzBrk1EyyQ (video)

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